Joel Bible Sketch

Return to the Lord.

 

He is gracious.

 

He is merciful.

He is slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.

Joel 2:13

 

and rend your hearts and not your garments.” Return to the Lord your God, for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love; and he relents over disaster. Joel 2:13

 

God wants us to honestly turn to face Him with our own sin.

Original sin and its consequences exhibit our desperate need for confession and absolution in Christ.

• poor spiritual, emotional, mental, physical health
  
• relational and political divisions—abuse, coercion, war
  
• natural disaster of floods, wildfires, earthquakes, tornadoes
• death
  

Christ is the Way to escape being irreparably damaged or harmed by sin. 

Jesus took our sin upon Himself to make us right so that we may ask God to intervene to strengthen us to withstand temptation.

“The Lord wants inner sincerity, not just outward show…let your conversion be a genuine one and show this by the fruits worthy of repentance. It is God’s nature to forgive; thus, He forgives because of who He is, not in exchange for our repentance.” The Lutheran Study Bible (Joel 2:13)

Loving Truth brings humility, repentance, trust, and restoration. Christ, relents over disaster, rescuing His faithful. By grace, His merciful work for us on the cross offers certain hope of salvation which is comfort to all who receive God’s gift of faith. Constant spiritual growth fueled by His Word and Sacrament helps the faithful live boldly, contently mindful of Him in the temporal and eternal. It sparks joy and Light to share with others.

Joel

“The book of Joel describes the Day of the Lord through locust swarms, battles, and powerful imagery so that readers can understand its magnitude.” Watch short video from the Bible Project